Someone Special To Tie Your Tie
by SeaDog11
Summary: Part 3 of "The Mistletoe Series"


**Someone Special To Tie Your Tie**

**Part 3 of "The Mistletoe Series"**

**Hi there! Okay, so I decided to make "The Mistletoe Series" a thing. You can read them in any order :) What started off as a fun Christmas story has now morphed into snippets of Josh and Donna's life. Part 1 of the series explains when they got together (I'm following Canon with the Hawaii vacation), when they got married, and when they had their first baby :)**

Westport, Connecticut- October 1975

"Joshua, hold still, I can't tie your tie with you fidgeting like that."

"Yes Mom, sorry."

"Stop fussing with your hair, I just got it tamed. The last thing any Jewish mother wants is to see is her son looking disheveled when he's called to the Torah."

"There are worse things, Mom."

"Joshua, watched yourself. Cut the snark please."

"Yes Mom, sorry."

"You're forgiven. Oh I cannot believe my baby boy is being Bar Mitzvahed today."

"I'm gonna be a man, Mom. Bring me the finest donuts and pizzas in all the land."

"You can have whatever you want at your party. It's your day. You've worked hard for this. Are you nervous?"

"No."

"No?"

"Okay fine yes."

"That's okay. I'm sure if you ask your father, he will tell you that he felt the same way."

"Mom, is Zayde here?"

"Yes, he's here," Ruth Lyman smiled as she continued to work on her son's tie. She loved the bond between Joshua and his grandfather.

Josh grinned. More than anything, he wanted to make his grandfather proud. He had studied and studied until he had his Torah passage down perfectly. Rabbi Cohen had told all the students in Hebrew school that they only had to read the final portion of the Torah reading, called the maftir, but they could read more if they wished. Josh took the challenge to read all seven portions, studying non stop. He had also stayed up late and woken up early to work on chanting the haftarah to make sure he had it, and he had worked himself into a frenzy for months over his drasha, a speech in which he explains why the themes in the Torah passage are important in his life. For that portion, Noah Lyman had known exactly who could help Josh, and that person was Leo McGarry.

"Mom? Mom is Mr. McGarry coming today?"

Another smile came across Ruth's face. The bond between her husband's good friend and her son ran deep.

"Yes. In fact, he's downstairs."

"No, he isn't," came Noah's voice from the doorway, causing Josh and Ruth to turn their heads and see Noah and Leo smiling.

"Mr. McGarry you're here!" Josh ran to the doorway, and in the midst undoing his mother's handy work on his tie.

"Whoa Josh, you've grown since I last saw you. You'll be your dad's height soon."

"Mr. McGarry, did you get my Dad's memo? The one with the final version of my drasha?" Josh was bouncing on his feet. Getting Mr. McGarry's praise and approval was important to him.

"Well I did, I read everything except the ending, I wanted that part to be a surprise. It's great Joshua, and I cannot wait to hear you deliver it with your conviction."

"I worked hard on it. Right Dad?"

"You sure did pal," Noah smiled and rested his hand on his son's shoulder in approval. He was impressed with his son's work ethic, but sometimes it worried him a bit too. Noah worried that Josh would spend so much time focusing on school and studying, that he would forget to be a boy and have fun, and that he would blink and his childhood would be over.

"Now Josh, I'm going to leave your gift down stairs and go pick up Mal and Jenny. We will meet you at the Synagogue, I just wanted to say hello and wish you good luck, not that you'll need it, kid."

"Thanks Mr. McGarry," Josh couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face, revealing his deep dimples.

"It's Leo, Josh. You're becoming a man today, so I think you can call me Leo from now on."

"K, Leo."

"I'm so proud of you and everything you have accomplished, and I know you will do great things. Today is just the first of many," Leo whispered as he embraced Josh.

"Thanks Leo."

"Oh Joshua, I need to fix your tie, come here."

"Yes, Mom," Josh agreed as he walked over to his mother. Noah followed closely behind.

"Now Josh," Ruth began as she lovingly tied his tie. "One day, one day a very special person will tie your tie for you."

"No. I think I can tie my own tie."

"Ahh, of course you will be able to tie your own tie," Noah jumped in. "But, you won't want to. You'll want someone else to do it for you."

"Really?" Josh raised his eyebrows, a little skeptical of what his parents were getting at.

"Really," Noah and Ruth said together as they smiled at their son.

"But it's just a tie. What's the big deal?"

"Sure it's just a tie," Ruth began as she gently tightened the knot on Josh's black tie. "But, it can also be a moment where two people connect, where words don't need to be spoken, where love passes back and forth as two people look into eachothers eyes. Someone special will show you Joshua . . . will show you how much you mean to them by the way their fingers gently tie your tie and adjust your collar."

Josh feeling slightly embarrassed, scuffed his shoe against the hardwood on his bedroom floor, "Yeah, maybe, I guess."

"Just you wait Josh," Noah said as he smiled at Ruth. "I remember the first time your mom tied my tie."

"Ahhhh Dad come on, I don't wanna hear this."

"Fine. A story for another day, maybe when you're older. For now though, I want to give you something." Noah motioned for Josh to sit down on the bed next to him as he presented his son with a jewelry box.

"Oh, wow Dad. This is . . ."

"Yup."

"Dad are you sure?"

"Absolutely, your Zayde gave it to me on the day of my Bar Mitzvah, and now I'm giving it to you. And on your son's Bar Mitzvah, you will give it to him."

"Wow, thanks."

"You're welcome. Here let me help you put it on," Noah took the watch from his son and carefully placed it on his left wrist. "Looks good Josh. It was meant for your wrist. Happy 13th birthday, son."

"Thanks Dad."

"And one more thing before we head over to temple," Ruth added as she grabbed a wrapped box off of Josh's desk. "Open it Son."

"Kay." Josh made quick work of the paper to find a traditional white and blue prayer shawl wrapped neatly in a box.

"You get to wear that for the first time today. It will help you find your strength when you're called to the Torah."

"Thank you Mom, thank you Dad."

"You're welcome, happy birthday Joshua," Ruth said affectionately as she kissed her son on his head. "We'll give you a few minutes, your Dad and I will meet you downstairs."

"K."

"Noah silently placed his hand on Josh's shoulder and smiled as he walked towards the door.

"Mom, Dad," Josh turned to look at his parents. "The whole having someone special to tie your tie thing? I guess that would be nice, someday."

Ruth and Noah smiled at their son as they gently closed his door.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o

The White House COS Office- October 2007

"You look deep in thought there," Donna said with a smile, as she continued to work on Josh's tie.

"Mmm. I was just thinking."

"Ahh, well thinking is good."

"I was thinking about my Bar Mitzvah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And umm, what my parents told me."

Donna smiled again, waiting for Josh to continue, her fingers gently working to perfect the knot in his tie.

"When my mom was tying my tie, she told me that one day a special someone would tie it for me. And every time you've tied my tie, her words have washed over me. I just wanted to share that with you."

"Josh," Donna whispered as she looked into his eyes, her hands stilling on his chest.

"And my dad said that even though I will know how to tie my own tie, I won't want to. I'll want someone else to do it for me. That's why for all these years I've always asked you. I _always_ want you to tie my tie for me Donna, and it's _always_ been you, my someone special."

"Well I love doing it for you. I always have. Oh look at me, I'm starting to cry," Donna choked out a quiet laugh as she started to dab at her tears.

"Please don't cry Donnatella," Josh whispered as he placed his thumbs on her cheeks and helped wipe them away. He moved his hands to her hips, where he lovingly rubbed his hand over her pregnant belly. He still couldn't believe it. He was married to the love of his life Donna Moss, well Donna Lyman now, and in four short months they would be parents to their baby boy.

"Ugh I know, I can't help it. Hormones," Donna laughed.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Well you should be, you got me pregnant!"

"Well it takes two Donnatella Lyman."

"Well, just make sure I get two pieces of cake and I'll forgive you," Donna smiled and ran her hands through Josh's hair before going back to working on his tie.

"You know what else thinking about my Bar Mitzvah made me realize?"

"What's that Pumpkin Patch?"

"That before we know it, we will be telling Noah on his Bar Mitzvah about how one day someone special will tie his tie, and we will be passing this watch on to him," Josh ran his fingers over the watch that had remained on his wrist almost constantly over the past 32 years.

"I love that tradition Josh."

"And I love you."

"I love you too. Are you okay? Donna asked as she tilted her head to the side. She could sense he was a little off.

"Yeah I'm okay. That memory also made me think about Leo and my Dad, and I miss them both.

"I know. They were both so proud of you Josh, and they would be so proud of everything you've already done for this administration."

"I'm still worried about the new education bill that is sitting in committee . . . maybe we shouldn't have let that rider get attached. And Kazakhstan is still a mess . . ."

"We will get the bill out of committee and passed. And if we don't we will try again. And Kazakhstan is going to be a long process. We just need to take that a day at a time," Donna reassured Josh as she gently tugged the knot tighter on his tie. This was one of the things Josh loved most about Donna. She always knew how to calm him, and help him look at a situation differently. She was his guiding light in a storm.

"Now, for tonight, let's not worry about bills, and Congress, and Kazakhstan. Tonight we're celebrating you. Happy 45th birthday, Joshua Lyman," she whispered as she adjusted his collar and straightened his tie.

Josh couldn't help but smile as he leaned forward and embraced Donna in an all consuming kiss. He placed his hands on her cheeks and slowly moved them into her hair. He felt her fingers tighten slightly around his curls. He felt her lips part for him as he eagerly let his tongue explore hers. She melted into his kiss and he felt her grab his tie as his hands moved to her breasts, and then to the zipper on her dress.

"Let's continue this after the party, we can even leave early," Donna spoke softly as she ran her fingers through Josh's hair in an attempt to tame it.

"Deal. We can eat cake then leave."

"I will just say I'm tired."

"I love how we can use that excuse," Josh grinned revealing his deep dimples.

"Oh Joshua, now I have to fix your tie again."

"Well you pulled on it Donna, don't blame me."

"Oh I blame you, husband of mine. You got me all hot and bothered."

"You didn't seem to mind."

"I didn't," Donna said coyly as she tenderly started to work on Josh's tie again. And in that moment, Josh remembered his mother's words:

"_Sure it's just a tie . . . But, it can also be a moment where two people connect, where words don't need to be spoken, where love passes back and forth as two people look into each other's eyes. Someone special will show you Joshua . . . will show you how much you mean to them by the way their fingers gently tie your tie and adjust your collar."_

Josh looked at Donna, and it's as if she felt his gaze on her. She looked at him with her deep, blue eyes, and no words needed to be spoken as they felt their souls connect and their love pass back and forth.

The way it always had since the first time she had tied his tie.


End file.
